What is the Activate Startup Programme?

Over the year we seek out entrepreneurs with outstanding digital ideas — then use our business and technology expertise to guide them to further investment and lasting success.

How does it work?

ApplicationTo the programme

First you’ll pitch us your business idea. We love great ideas, so we’re interested in all types of startup – but we specialise creating digital platforms. That’s where we add unique value to your idea.

The selection cycles runs throughout the year. If selected you’ll need to prepare for a two hour pitch, where you’ll amaze us with your idea.

Take your idea from post-it to prototype and into the hands of your target users through a collaborative, iterative design sprint.

We will create an MVP in order to get some of the key experiences of the product to early customers as quickly as possible, without burning too many resources to get there. This is an inexpensive way to test product hypotheses, accelerate learning, and ensure your business is delivering a product or service that users want and need.

This will help to you provide proof of traction, the capability to acquire your earliest users and to generate your first real revenue.

Design Sprints

Impact Mapping

User Testing & Proof of Traction

Up to £50kby Activate

£100k to £200kby other investors

InvestmentSecond round

BuildProgramme

We assist you in building and launching your product to market using agile development techniques. We will provide the technology expertise to support you with scaling and managing your product. We assist with the planning and help you decide upon a suitable software infrastructure and security measures.

Activate deploys a dedicated product team that is built around your project. A typical team would include: